MARCH BREAK 2011

March 9, 2011 - Updated: March 9, 2011

March Break Attractions

During March Break, many of Toronto’s major attractions have extended hours and/or special programming. Kids can explore and create at many of the city’s museums, galleries and other attractions. Below is a list of family outings.

Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)The ROM has full and half-day camps for children ages five to 14. Kids learn about ancient Egyptians, get creative with homemade slime and examine fossils.

Toronto ZooFamilies can keep warm inside any of the tropical pavilions. Get up close to all kinds of exotic animals like the meerkats and pygmy hippos in the newly refurbished African Rainforest Pavilion. There are new friends too, like Jackson's chameleon and ring-tailed lemurs. With a hot chocolate in hand, guests can also hear Keeper Talks and walk through the award-winning Tundra Trek with three polar bears. The extended hours for March 12 to March 20 are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
Explore the opulent world of the maharajas during the top of the 18th century to the mid-20th century. Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts includes more than 200 works of art like paintings, furniture, decorative arts and jewellery, all made for India's great kings. Visitors 25 years old and younger get into this exhibit for free. Children under five are always free at the gallery and Wednesday evenings are free for everyone from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Maharaja exhibit excluded).

Bata Shoe Museum
Kids become rock stars at the BSM over the March Break. They can make their own cardboard guitar, pose with a microphone during their own photo op, get a fake tattoo, decorate a star-shaped cookie, try on costumes and footwear, go on a treasure hunt and leave a footprint on the Walk of Fame. The drop-in activities are between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (March 14 to March 18). The special pricing is $8 each for children and $9 for the adults accompanying them.

TIFF Bell Lightbox
Don't just watch the movies, make them! Sign your kids up for March Break camps that will teach them what goes on behind the scenes. For those between the ages nine and 12, there's five days of movie magic with film production and optical illusions. The result is a final film piece. For teens between 14 and 18, they'll take part in a fast-paced, filmmaking process. Design creative elements like sets, props and costumes, script, storyboard, film, edit and screen a short film. There will also be special-guest visits, mini-master classes and individual exercises. The camps are at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (March 14 to March 18).

Hockey Hall of FameThis hockey-lover’s favourite attraction offers a chance to take shots on real-time goalies, call play-by-plays on some of the greatest goals, see hockey flicks and get up close and personal with the Stanley Cup. Between March 12 and March 20 the Hockey Hall of Fame has extended hours, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Click on Kids Free for a coupon valid until May 31, 2011.

Toronto Botanical Gardens
The gardens offer a place for kids to get their hands dirty. The camps allow kids to cook food, create clay sculptures, learn about how animals protect themselves, paint and more. The camps are March 14 to March 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are geared towards those five to 10 years old.

Casa Loma
Toronto's castle turns into a fairytale from March 14 to 19. Princesses and Pirates: Cinderella and The Little Mermaid's Enchanted Castle consists of several events. A musical performance of favourite songs is happening in the library, a sing-a-long version of Snow White's classic tale is in the billiard room, a photo shoot with gowns and pirate costumes is available and much more. Casa Loma is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission for the special event is anywhere from $11.32 to $20.55.

Harbourfront Centre
The Harbourfront Centre offers several camps over the March Break including digital photography, circus camp and fashion design. New this year are comic book camp, a dance camp that focuses on contemporary, classical and traditional genres, Junior Baker's Dozen, a camp that offer hands-on baking with a professional chef, and a culinary camp for aspiring Iron Chefs called Emerging Chef Challenge. Camps are geared towards kids as young as three and teens as old as 17 and take place on March 14 to 18.

Wonderful World of Circus
Climb, spin, swing and tumble during the Wonderful World of Circus' March Break camp. Each day of the fun-pack week including games and activities like juggling, dance, trampoline, aerial gymnastics, acrobatics, animal training, arts and crafts and more. Kids can take the full-day program from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or the half-day starting at the same time and ending at noon.